At six, Marcus is considerably younger than most Fortune 500 CEOs, causing anxiety for many investors who argue that a company worth more than McDonald’s shouldn’t be left in the hands of an individual who still buys Happy Meals—“for the toy,” no less.

Sheryl Sanderson, child psychologist and Marcus’s adopted guardian, argues otherwise: “While still requiring direction from adults, six-year-olds feel prepared to take on new roles and responsibilities, and revel in their newfound independence. So clearly, Marcus is ready for the first grade. That’s what we’re talking about…right?”

Of course, Marcus’s Timeline (or to use an outmoded expression, “life”) has been anything but ordinary. At age two, during Mommy-Play-’N-Learn, he coded a mobile app allowing moms to rate the most attractive baby; following the resultant internecine warfare, he proceeded to launch a global social network allowing students at elite preschools to divide the world into “friends” and “non-friends,” thus creating a generation of chronically self-conscious and self-absorbed crybabies. (The service has since been scaled to all schools, and is now used by everyone including senior citizens and your second-uncle Saul.)

Now, Marcus has become a poster child for a new generation of Post-Millennial overachievers, inspiring both admiration and jealousy. Pressed for comment, the eight-year-old WinkleTinkle brothers—his former classmates—issued the following statement: “Waa-waa-waaaa!” Another classmate remarked: “He’s not a prodigy. He was just in the right sandbox at the right time. Or to put that another way, I feel inferior.” And pop star Selena Gomez has reportedly dumped boyfriend Justin Bieber, calling him both “under-accomplished” and “over the hill.”

“Marcus has really grown up in front of our eyes,” summarized one Wall Street analyst. “His shyness used to come across as arrogance, but now we know it was just a stage; just as the web is becoming more social, his own social skills are improving. Marcus is now clearly mature enough to answer tough questions without sweating (“What are the days of the week?”); announce important news (“I got a new Hot Wheels!”); discuss sensitive topics (“I want big-boy underwear”); and control all of your most vital personal data and photos without saying “It’s MINE. And I’m NEVER giving it back!” Indeed, the “Fisher-Price CEO” insists he plans to be on all quarterly earnings calls and avoid softball questions, preferring tee-ball instead.

Of course, there will always be critics. Says Butch Buzzkill, Child Development Professor at the University of Phoenix, “He is not fit to run a major company, displaying many concerning traits of six-year-olds; besides being awkward, even socially inept, he remains narcissistic, compulsive, wary of oversight, divisive among peers, overly rigid in decision-making, and only beginning to express a desire for privacy. And as for Marcus, he is rather childish as well.”

Nevertheless, supporters argue that the world needs fresh ideas, and that America has had a long history of imaginative visionaries who made a splash at a young age: for instance, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Elmo. Further, experts acknowledge that the average six-year-old, raised on tweets and iPads, is already far more conversant in the nuances of social media than middle-aged CEOs. (Certain mothers disagree. Says Dorothy Bland of Tulsa, “Six-year-olds are way too young to have a social network profile. I prefer exposing my children to safe, wholesome, all-American family activities, like watching Sunday NFL football—where aggressors routinely shatter each other’s ribcages and induce life-threatening cerebral hemorrhages.”)

Asked to summarize his company’s ethos for potential shareholders, Marcus said, “I wanna go outside,” which translates (in grown-up talk) to: “We’re a Snacker culture at heart. Ritz Crackers, Fruit Roll-Ups; sure, many have negative connotations with ‘snacking,’ namely unhealthy sugars and trans-fats, but I see it more as a symbol of defying the authority of age-old organizational structures—i.e., parents. I believe kids should be able to test new desserts whenever they want, even after bedtime—overnight snackathon sleepover, anyone?—and do whatever they like without getting punished. We even let people draw on walls…and give them $200 million.”

When asked if he is ready to handle the pressures of running a public company, Marcus stressed that he is used to taking on new responsibilities (e.g., clearing the table, not punching his sister); and that compared to the existing pressures of today’s kindergarteners (e.g., applying to prestigious primary schools, taking pre-pre-pre-SAT/MCAT prep classes, and joining dozens of extracurriculars), overseeing a balance sheet “isn’t such a big whoop.” Adds Marcus’s mother, “Twelve years from now, I’m just hoping the WONDERFUL admissions committee at Wesleyan will look favorably on his CEO experience—even if most other kids do the same.”